The Importance of Skin Cancer Screening

We are excited to announce the details for our annual Skin Cancer Screening event! This is a day fully dedicated to checking for and identifying possible areas of concern for skin cancer. New patients to our practice can make an appointment on Friday, May 18th to see our PA Joyce Warwick.

Joyce will check exposed skin areas only (face, neck, arms, hands, legs) and screen for areas that catch her eye and needs attention. Joyce exemplifies deep commitment to overall skin health and general dermatology issues but she is specifically passionate about skin cancer treatment and prevention.

Many of our patients don’t know what to look for in regards to abnormalities which oftentimes lead to areas being noticed later than hoped for. At Dermablue we spend time educating our patients how to spot possible abnormalities and changes to help decrease the chances of Skin Cancer developments.

Here is a helpful way to keep an eye on suspicious areas at home, The ABC’s:

A Stands for Asymmetry; one half is unlike the other half.

B Stands for Border; irregular, scalloped or poorly defined border.

C Stands for Color; varied from one area to another; shades of tan and brown, black; sometimes white, red or blue.

D Stands for Diameter; while melanomas are usually greater than 6mm (the size of a pencil eraser) when diagnosed, they can be smaller.

E Stands for Evolving; a mole or skin lesion that looks different from the rest or is changing in size, shape or color.

We cannot stress enough to our patients that any changes noticed need to be evaluated in our office. It’s better to know everything still looks alright than to overlook possible warning signs.

We know that sunscreen can’t fully protect us from skin cancer but it will help the risk greatly. Dr. LaMond formulated our SPF product in his skincare line to not only be effective but also comfortable to use. In skincare product sales the #1 excuse we hear for not purchasing or using sunscreen is that it feels greasy and/or has an unpleasant smell. Dr. LaMond took this into consideration when creating his products and we have been blown away by the response. Our SPF has a matte silky texture which goes on smoothly without greasy residue. It has a slight tint that is complimentary to all skin types to avoid feeling “pasty”. The tinting factor also makes it easier to reapply for those who wear makeup.

Once our patients realize there is an SPF product that is comfortable for daily and long term use our next detail is the importance of reapplying! Most people are successful with this first application but the thought of reapplying grows faint as we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the day or activity. Once we put sunscreen on we tend to let our guard down for the rest of the day because we mentally think we are protected. We suggest that patients make a strategized effort to remember to reapply. One way to do that is to set a reminder on your phone so you can enjoy your activities but still remember to reapply and not regret it later with sunburn which also means sun damage!

There are two common MYTHS in regards to why patients disregard the importance of an annual Skin Exam:

1- “I don’t have any moles that look like cancer”

FACT: skin cancer appears in many forms and may not be the same as other people. Anything that looks abnormal needs to be checked by a professional in a timely manner.

2- “Skin cancer isn’t life threatening”

FACT: More than 9,000 people are expected to lose their lives to melanoma this year. Fortunately, skin cancer is the easiest cancer to treat IF it is detected early.

As you can see, our goal is to educate our patients as much as possible to catch any possible skin cancer before it’s too late. We are here for our patients from start to finish- detection, correction, and prevention. Join us on Friday, May 18th for our Skin Cancer Screening event to stay skin healthy and happy!